In railcars in which a plurality of cars are coupled to each other, a passenger's way (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a “gangway”) is sometimes formed by walkway plates (running boards) and buffer plates such that passengers and crew can move between the cars. The walkway plates are plate members, and each of which is attached to car ends of the car while protruding from the respective car ends. The buffer plates are members each of which has an assisting member overlying the walkway plate in an up and down direction to assist the walkway plate, and an abutment member where the facing buffer plates between adjacent cars are abutted with each other, and supports each walkway plate from its lower side.
Meanwhile, a gap of a coupling part between the cars is displaced when the cars run in a curve section or by acceleration and deceleration of cars in running. The walkway plates and the buffer plates need to move in accordance with the displacement between the cars to ensure the gangway in the case of the displacement of the gap. In particular, when the displacement in the coupling part between the cars is very large, there may be a gap between the walkway plates of the cars. In this situation, the gangway has to be ensured by the assisting members of the buffer plates. At the same time, it is necessary for the buffer plates not to cause a gap between the buffer plates.
Providing buffers having springs with large urging force in end portions of the cars allows the abutment members facing each other between the cars to press against each other in a car longitudinal direction (corresponding to a rail extending direction, hereinafter, simply referred to as the “rail direction”) by the buffers. Thereby, assuring no gap between the buffer plates is achieved.